Carrier and dropping board for poultry



July 9, 1929. M. E. FENNER CARRIER AND DROPPI NG BOARD FOR POULTRY IFiled Feb. 10, 1928 M.E.'Fennr' Patented July 9, 1929.

UNITED STATE MINER E. rnnnnn, on smvmnn, NEBRASKA.

CARRIER AND DROPPING BOARD FOR POULTRY.

Application filed February 10, 1928. Serial No. 253,385.

This invention relates to a conveyor and i d roppingr-board for poultryroosts, and has for its object, broadly, to provide a device which maybeused in. poultry houses general. ly, and may be placed beneath theroosts for collecting and removing trash, excrement or vermin therefrom.

One of the specific objects of the invention is to provide a device forthe above purposes which may be kept in a sanitary condition.

Another object is to provide a device for these purposes which willconsist of separable parts which may be cmiveniently assembled and willbe convenient in operation.

Still another object is to provide a flexible conveyor including afabric protecting-sheet, which collects all droppings or excren'lent,and which may be subjected to any suitable cleaning process, such asscrubbing, scouring; washing, boilin and cleaning, so that vermin may bedestroyed and. parts maintainml in a sanitary con d iti on.

With the foregoing objects in view and others to be mentionedhereii'ia'lter the ii'ivcntion presents a new and useful construction,coml'iination and arrangement of parts as described herein and claimed,and as illus trated in the accompanying drawing, it being understoodthat chan maybe made in size, :torm, proportion of parts and minordetails, said changes being within the scope of the invention asclaimed.

in the drawings; Fig. 1 is a plan view oi: the invention, parts beingbroken away, the legs for the frame bcin shown in. folded position. Fig.2 is a view in longitudinal. section oft the device on line 2-2ot Fig.1.. Fig. is a side view oit the device. Fig. 4; is an enlarged detailsl'iowingr one Oil the arms and. an arrange ment for one of theFastening devices for removably securing the cover to the flexible web.Fig. 5 is a plan view of the flexible web.

in order that the objects first mentioned may be attained .1 provide aframe including a pair of side-strips 5, said frame pretm'ably being ofrectangular form. Numerals 6 and 7 indicate rollers disposedtransversely of the frame with its ends preferably journ alled in theside-strips 5.

Numeral 8 indicates a flexible web preterably constructed of wirenetting and operat ing as a conveyor or carrier. It is mounted on therollers 6 and 7, and by means of a crank 9 the roller 6 may be rotatedfor moving the flexible web, the roller 7 operating; as an idler tofacilitate the movement of the web.

While I have shown wire netting used for the web 8, any other materialmay be used.

A roost for the tliowls is shown by brolcen lines in Fig. 3 of thedrawings and indicated at 1.0, and, in the use of the device it isplaced below the roost, the frame being provided with legs 11 which mayrest upon the ground or other support. I

As thus described the web, byuse of. the crank, may be movedlongitudinally between and parallel. with the side-strips 5 eitherforward 1y or rearwardly, the roller 6 having a rugose surface so thatit may be effectively enleaged by said roller to cause its longitudinalmovement, and it desired the roller may be provided with projections,pegs or pins 12 so that the flexible web will have a positive movementby the rotatable movement of said roller. i

, Numeral 13 indicates a flexible cover which is disposed upon theflexible web. It may consist of canvas, heavy muslin or other flexiblematerial. It has a width and length corresponding: ap nronimatoly. tothe frame, and any suitable arrangement maybe made tor-serurim: it tothe flexible web in such a manner that it may be conveniently attachedat one of its ends thereto and th at itmay be conveniently detachedtheretrom, the pre- :terred arrangement to be presently described.

The function discharg d by the flexible web 8 is it support the cover,and to be movable il or moving the cover forwardly to permit removal sothat it :may be cleaned, and to be moved rearwardly after a clean coverh as been attache d th creto.

Numerals 14!: indicate a pair of arms disposed on the side-strips 5 atthe :front end. therco'l and adapted to have sliding movements thereonto project iliorwardly. These arms may have any suitable mounting on thestrips 5 to permit sliding movements, the means provided herein being apair ot staples 15 which are secured. to the strips 5. "Each armisprovided with a terminal lug l6 operat ing as a stop-member forlimiting its outward slidingmovement, and the outer end ol' each arm isprovided with an eye or loop 17,

and as described, these arms may be moved manually, their outwardsliding movements being somewhat outwardly of: the end. of: the frame.

The flexible web 8 may, of: course, consist wholly of wire netting, butas a matter of convenience I have used flexible straps 18 for parts oi?this carrier, said straps extendbeing suitably connected to provide anendless carrier for the mounting on the rollers as mentioned.

Oneof the ends of the flexible cover is provided with hooks 19adapted tobe removably secured to the flexible web or carrier 8, the opposite endof the cover being provided with hooks 20 adapted to be removablyattached to the eyesor loops 1? of the arms 14.

In the use of the device two covers 13 should be used so that a' cleancover may be substituted for a cover which has been soiled.

In operation, the hooks '19 are used for securing the one end of thecover to the car rier or flexible web, the hooks being caught therein.Byuse of the crank, the roller 6 is rotated in one directionfor movingthe carrier and cover longitudinally of the'frame so that the cover willbe superposed above the frame. 9 V

When the cover thus disposed has become befouled by depositsor droppingsof cxcrement and in order that the poultry house may be renderedsanitary, the cover is reframe.

moved, and for this purpose the arms 14 are.

manually moved outwardly from the end of the frame'andthe hooks'20 areconnected with the eyes or loops 17 of the arms. The

' roller 6 is then rotated in such a direction that the carrier togetherwith the cover will be moved toward the arms l4, the cover beingdeposited in a plane-between the outer ends of the arms l4 and theadjacent end of the The use of the arms .inthe operation last describedis an important feature for the reason that the dry and loose excrementon the cover 13 will be held thereby In the last described operation thearms 14 will support one end of the cover and the remaining part ofthecover together with the excrement thereon will be conveyed towardsaid arms.

Since the cover'is flexible it will become partly folded and will assumea form substan tially of U-shape'while moving downwardly, and,as'mentioned,*the loose excrement will be retained inithe U-shapedcover, one end of the cover being supported bythe arms .and its oppositeend beingsupported by the carrier;

The cover, after the hooks have been detached from the carrier and fromthe arms, may be removed and then be cleaned by any suitable means.

The object in view in providing the foldable feature for the legs is tofacilitate shipments. The invention presents a device which is complete.\Vhen packing the device for shipment they may lie one upon the other tooccupy a limited space, the legs being moved to a folded position.

For use the legs may be extended and said device may be placed in ahorizontal position beneath the roost for maintaining a poultry house ina sanitary condition.

I. claim as my invention.-

1. In a dropping-board for poultry roosts, a frame, means for supportingsaid frame. rollers supported by the frame at each end thereof, aflexible web carried by said rollers, a flexible ('(WGL having one endl(i:lLll:l l carried by said web and its other end de tachably carriedby said frame, and means for operating said rollers.

2. In a dropping board for poultry loosls, a frame, means for supportingsaid frame, spaced rollers mounted in the frame, a flexible web carriedby said rollers and adapted to move therewith, arms attached to andsliding on one end of the frame and on each side thereof andadapted toextend beyond the end of said frame, a flexible cover having its endsdetachably secured to said web and said arms respectively, and means formoving said rollers and the flexible cover to fold up said cover.

3. In a dropping board for poultry roosls, a frame, a flexible stripdetachably connected atone end to one end of the frame and adapted to bestretched toward the other end of the frame, spaced rollers in theframe, a web mounted on the rollers for engagement boneath the strip tosupport the same in. flat position, the other end of said strip adaptedfor detachable connection to the web, and means for operating therollers for moving the web in one direction to stretch the strip overthe web and for moving the web in an opposite direction to loop thestrip downwardly from said first end of the frame.

In testimony whereof, I have allixcd my signature.

, MINER E. FENNER.

